


His Book Is Burning

by bambipeter



Category: Avengers, Avengers Team - Fandom, MCU, Marvel, Marvel fandom - Fandom, Spiderman - Fandom, Spiderman Homecoming, spiderman far from home - Fandom
Genre: Alive Tony Stark, Eating Disorders, Endgame, Everyone Is Alive, Gay, Iron Dad, Multi, Peter Parker & Avengers Team - Freeform, Peter Parker & Tony Stark - Freeform, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Self Harm, Slow Burn, Spideypool - Freeform, Suicide, Tony Stark Lives, Tony Stark is Peter Parker’s parental figure, alive avengers, post Endgame, spider son
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-23 05:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20003053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bambipeter/pseuds/bambipeter
Summary: ‘It’s like my book is burning. Every page I turn is ash, and I can do nothing to stop the darkness from crumbling right into my palm.’‘Sounds like you need to buy a new book.’





	1. Prologue

**_Prologue_ **

Peter can hear the wistful sound of his favourite book rustling in the wind coming through his open window. Wade is cooking them something, and they both know they’ll just end up ordering in, but the atmosphere is worth it.

He sits up from their bed, which is draped in sheets and blankets, and looks at his phone. There’s a message from Tony.

_Hey Kid. Just checking how you’re doing today. Morgan misses you, she won’t stop going on about her big brother even though you saw us on Sunday. Come over for dinner this week, everyone will be there. I know you can do it._

_Tony_

Peter puts back down his phone and smiles. ‘Wade?’ he calls. ‘What’s cookin baby boy?’ his boyfriend yells back, trying to subtly cover the burning bacon with his oven gloves and failing miserably. Peter rolls his eyes. ‘Dinner with the family this week. I’m gonna make tacos to bring over.’ 

Peter hears a bang and a yelp of excitement and laughs to himself.

He pulls himself off of the bed and picks up a familiar book. It was once new, when he needed it most, but now the pages are worn. He smiles, hugging the book to his chest. 

It’s not burning anymore.


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter hides. Tony thinks. The avengers reunite.

On a Wednesday morning, 4.27am to be precise, Peter Parker sat on his twin bed, nursing a cup of coffee and staring at the ceiling. It must’ve been nearly 29 hours since Peter had last gotten a wink of sleep, and yet he still didn’t feel tired in the slightest. Sleep was becoming somewhat of a luxury, after the war. The young man picked at his fraying blanket, his brown eyes surrounded by purple bags, and sighed into his cup. He had spent the last hour trying to write an essay for English, but hadn’t gotten further than writing the date on the top of his empty word document.

The quiet sounds of his Aunt snuffling in her sleep in the room next door weren’t comforting. It only reminded him of another innocent person he could loose. After another minute of staring into space, Peter gulped down the rest of his coffee, put down his mug and stood up abruptly. His eyes lingered on the red suit peeking out of his wardrobe. People needed saving, even at this time, and Spider-Man was friendly and nice. Not like Peter. People liked Spider-Man. 

Time to pretend, Peter Parker thought.

On the other side of New York, Tony Stark wasn’t sleeping either. His eyes poured over an updated design for his now missing arm. After the snap, the only way he could stay alive was for his arm to be amputated. Ironically, he and the man who killed his parents, the man he used to hate, would soon be twinning. Pepper was upstairs, sound asleep, with Morgan in the other room. Dum-E was whizzing around excitedly, bumping up against his dad’s leg. Tony sighed, and rolled his eyes. Picking up a rubber ball he always kept down in the lab, he threw it for his puppy-like creation, watching fondly as the robot frantically whirred after it. 

Tony was startled out of his thoughts by a buzz on his phone. He picked it up from his desk, and read the text.

_Stark. Avengers need to meet properly. You’ve saved the world but you need to become a real team again if you’re going to keep on saving it. The rouges will come to the compound tomorrow. Be ready._

_-Nick Fury._

Tony rolled his eyes. Only Nick Fury would still have an unknown number after everything that had happened. To be frank, he knew this was coming. Fury was right- they had saved the world, but since the war on Titan was so recent, and earth was still so vulnerable after it all happened, it was a peak time for villains to take advantage of the weak state of humanity. Tony certainly didn’t want to be seeing Steve Rogers and his friends, but he knew if they were to keep protecting earth, they needed to sort their shit out before another threat arose. Tony switched off his phone.

‘Fri, can you turn off everything in the lab, make sure Dum-E gets some rest too, he’s been staying up with me lately. I’m going to get some sleep.’

’Of course boss. I’m sure Pepper will be pleased that you’re going to sleep at 4.58am. Goodnight!’

Tony couldn’t resist a chuckle. Of course his AI was as snarky as him. He could practically taste the fond sarcasm.

’Night Fri.’

Tony trudged upstairs, and crept into his and Pepper’s bedroom. Quickly, he washed his face and brushed his teeth, stripping down to his boxers and climbing into bed. He closed his eyes and finally, finally, drifted to sleep. 

‘Good morning boss. I feel it necessary to alert you that the Avengers have arrived, and are waiting for you in the kitchen.’

’Shit!’ Tony exclaimed, jumping out of his bed like it was burning him, and rushing to get ready. No time to look good, he thought, decided to pull on some old jeans he wears in the shop, and a very worn hoodie. He clambered out of his room and into the kitchen.

A group of confused looking avengers stared right back of him. Steve, Sam, Clint, Scott, Nat- the whole lot. 

Steve smiled warmly. ‘Hey Tony. Let’s get this meeting started, shall we?’

Tony Stark forced a smile back at his old team, wishing Bruce and Thor were coming over now rather than in a week.

He cleared his throat.

’I’m on it, Rogers.’

Peter has been up all night, but it was worth it for the four people Spider-Man had managed to stop getting mugged. He had school in an hour, but his tiredness wouldn’t be able to wipe the rare grin from his face. Spider-Man did so well. Peter wished he could be a bit more like him, but he was happy to help. Sneaking back into May’s apartment through the window to his bedroom, he stripped off his suit and hopped in the shower to wash off the grime and sweat from a nights work. After showering, he brushed his teeth and got dressed for the day. He’d been so cold lately, so he threw on some warm sweatpants, a T-shirt and a soft hoodie. Peter honestly didn’t care that he looked like he was in pyjamas, they were warm, soft and comfortable, and that was all that really mattered to him. He still hadn’t gotten a call from Tony, even though they hadn’t spoken for a couple of weeks. Peter thought for a split second that he might text Tony, but decided against it. Tony would message Spider-Man when he needed him. Peter was irrelevant. The teenager pinched at the skin on his arm slightly, scolding himself for being so cocky to even assume the older man cared. Skidding into the kitchen, he grabbed a cereal bar, and made himself a black coffee to go. Texting May to let her know he’d gone to school, Peter put on his beat up converse, and locked the door. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he took the route to Ned’s house so they could walk to school together. 

After about 10 minutes of walking, Peter saw Ned waiting outside his house. The other boy waved enthusiastically to him, and Peter smiled slightly and walked over.

‘Hey man! Woah, Peter, you look really tired! Sure you wanna go in today?’

Peter felt flattered at his friends concern but shook his head no. ‘Ned, I really need to get some work done. I’ve literally skipped five years of school.’

‘Yeah, cause you were busy saving the world! Come on dude, cut yourself some slack.’

Peter faked a smile over his incoming frown, biting his lip so he didn’t say that Spider-Man was the one who saved the world, not pathetic Peter Parker. Ned was looking at him, all wide eyed and innocent, and Peter humoured him.

‘I guess yeah. Just busy being a hero.’ Peter replied. Ned looked pleased at his response, and chuckled, Peter joining in as they began walking.

As he laughed, Peter still couldn’t shake the feeling that he should be laughing with Ned, not as Peter, but as Spider-Man. Ned deserved a friend like his alter ego, not a friend like him.


End file.
